Mr. Koll Speaks Out For The City Of Fire

Transcription

1 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE Chairman Koll called the meeting of the COG Public Safety Committee to order at 9:14 A.M. in the COG Forum Room. Members present: Messrs. Boyer, Koll, Mascolo (alternate for Ferguson Township), and Ms. Lawrence Others present: Messrs. Bair, COG Fire Director; Kauffman, Centre Region Emergency Management Coordinator; Knable, Assistant Director, Centre LifeLink EMS; Kurtz, Assistant Manager, State College Borough; Schneider, CRCA Director; Steff, COG Executive Director; and Ms. Cromell, Recording Secretary CITIZEN COMMENTS No citizen comments were offered. MINUTES Motion was made by Mr. Mascolo and seconded by Mr. Boyer that the minutes of the October 14, 2009 meeting of the COG Public Safety Committee be approved as presented. Mr. Boyer stated for the record that in his view, the Public Services and Environmental Committee had been able to adequately address regional emergency service capabilities. There being no further comments, the vote in favor of approving the October 14, 2009 minutes was unanimous. CENTRE REGION BUILDING SAFETY CODE Mr. Walt Schneider, Centre Region Code Administration Director, distributed copies of the latest draft of the Centre Region Building Safety Code, dated, and directed the Committee s attention to the municipal comments that were included in the agenda packet. He told the Committee the Municipal Managers had been copied on all of the municipal comments, and that comments from the COG Solicitor had been incorporated into the current draft. Mr. Schneider then highlighted significant changes from the draft that was presented at the October 14 meeting: 1. At the request of the COG Solicitor, background information from the Joint Articles of Agreement was added to Section 111 Means of Appeal. 2. The definition of fraternity was reworded to match that used by State College Borough.

2 Page 2 of 6 3. The definition of residential rental property was revised in such a way that each municipality can establish its own duration of rental. Seven consecutive days is the current threshold; CRCA staff recommends two. 4. Based on comments from the COG Solicitor and the municipalities, the requirement for AEDs was removed from the code. However, if AEDs are already present, the code does contain requirements for signage and placement. 5. In response to concerns from the Spring Creek Watershed Commission, the timelines in Chapter 10, Wells and Boreholes, were revised to align with the statewide building code. Also, language was added to specify when a registered design professional must be employed. Mr. Kurtz informed Mr. Schneider that State College Councilman James Rosenberger had raised a number of questions regarding the administration and cost of the well drilling section of the code. Mr. Kurtz will provide Mr. Schneider with those comments. Mr. Koll was confident that the code could be adopted by the municipalities by the end of the year and then amended as needed. Mr. Kurtz commended Mr. Schneider for his efforts in putting the document together. Mr. Schneider told the Committee that, given the size and scope of the document, there were relatively few comments; he is pleased with the entire code. Mr. Schneider expressed his appreciation to the municipalities, elected officials, and staff. Mr. Steff asked Mr. Schneider to give an update on the latest revisions at the General Forum meeting on November 23, Mr. Kurtz left the meeting at 9:35 A.M. CENTRE LIFELINK EMS Mr. Kent Knable, Assistant Director of Centre LifeLink EMS, gave a brief history of the organization. Originally established in 1941 as part of the Alpha Fire Company, it became the independent Alpha Community Ambulance Service in In 2005, the name was changed again to Centre LifeLink EMS. Centre LifeLink EMS is a non-profit organization. Its corporate membership is made up of active volunteers and a nine-member Board of Directors. The Director and Assistant Director do not have voting rights. Staff consists of 35 paid Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), 50 volunteer EMTs, and eight administrative support staff. The organization relies heavily on student volunteers, so turnover is high. Two EMT classes, each with a minimum class size of 15, are offered each year; each student usually serves for two years. Volunteer numbers are good, and it is estimated that 2009 will be the largest volunteer year ever, with over 16,000 hours; each volunteer hour is equivalent to saving $10.00 in salary expenses.

3 Page 3 of 6 Centre LifeLink has a budget of $2.6 million ended with 3% revenue over expenses, and it is estimated that 2009 will end with 1% revenue over expenses. Centre LifeLink owns four advanced life support ambulances, three basic life support ambulances, one paramedic transport vehicle (to deliver paramedics to the scene), and four non-emergency transport vans. A new ambulance will be purchased in 2010 using the $275,000 bequeathed by Sula Kauffman. The new ambulance will be a replacement for a troublesome vehicle rather than an addition to the fleet. Mr. Knable reported that Centre LifeLink covers 98% of all calls in the Centre Region. Its annual call volume is approximately 5,500, which increases by about 2% per year. In terms of response times, Centre LifeLink s goal is to have an ambulance on scene within 15 minutes, anywhere in the Centre Region. This goal is met 87% of the time; 90% is the ultimate goal. The addition of GPS technology has helped, but there are areas of Ferguson Township that are simply too far to reach in 15 minutes. Mr. Knable explained that all calls are assigned by the Centre County 911 Center based on coverage areas determined by the state. Centre LifeLink is responsible for the Borough of State College and all of the Centre Region Townships, except for Halfmoon, which is covered by Port Matilda EMS. Penn State University EMS is assigned to the University Park campus, and both of its units must be fully involved before calls will be assigned to Centre LifeLink. There are mutual aid agreements in place with all neighboring EMS services. Five Centre LifeLink ambulances are staffed on football weekends. Pleasant Gap and Port Matilda increase their staffing and station ambulances closer to the Centre Region to provide coverage for any missed calls; Centre LifeLink s missed call rate is a mere 1%. During football weekends, up to 200 patients per day are treated at the Mount Nittany Medical Center, in addition to those who are treated and released at Beaver Stadium s medical facility. In response to a question from Mr. Steff, Mr. Knable stated that if there is a large scale need, Centre LifeLink has access to 24 ambulances from adjacent counties, as well as a 10 ambulance strike team from outside the area that is trained in mass casualty care. Mr. Kauffman added that the Office of Emergency Management does have a plan in place for dealing with mass casualty incidents. Centre LifeLink is one of only five ambulance companies in the state (130 in the nation) that are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS). CAAS accreditation is the gold standard in EMS, and an ambulance company must meet 140 standards in order to attain this accreditation. Centre LifeLink was first accredited in 1999 and was reaccredited in Mr. Knable reported that Centre LifeLink s busiest time of day is 1:00 A.M. to 3:00 A.M. and that alcohol related calls have increased 68% in the last 5 years. This increase has occurred throughout the Centre Region, especially in areas where there are large bars and student apartment complexes. Mr. Boyer suggested that nuisance ordinances, such as the one being considered by the Borough of State College, might be necessary.

4 Page 4 of 6 Mr. Boyer expressed concern that the needs of Centre Region residents may not be being met during football weekends and large events, such as State Patty s Day, because resources are being held in reserve, and he related an incident that occurred over the weekend of the Homecoming Storm. Mr. Bair acknowledged that there may indeed be a problem, but that further investigation is required. In his experience, emergency services have never been held back because of a football game; it does not change the priority of care. Mr. Knable explained that during those times when emergency services are in high demand, nonemergency transports might be delayed. In response to a question from Mr. Koll, Mr. Knable stated that the recapture rate on billing is approximately 65% and that it is becoming harder administratively for Centre LifeLink to obtain reimbursement from health insurance companies. The financial impact of Health Care Reform is of some concern. Centre LifeLink s future endeavors include the Community Link initiative to train 50% of Centre Region residents in CPR by 2015, the promotion of AED installation in area businesses, and the acquisition of LUCAS chest compression devices for use in its ambulances. LUCAS CHEST COMPRESSION SYSTEM Mr. Koll asked the Committee to develop a recommendation for referral to the General Forum regarding how the municipalities should contribute to the cost of LUCAS CPR machines for use on Centre LifeLink ambulances. He gave his opinion that this is a regional issue and that the cost should be shared by all of the municipalities based on COG shares. Ms. Lawrence reported that Borough Council had expressed concern regarding save rates and Centre LifeLink s ability to have a unit on the scene within the window of opportunity to save the victim s life. Borough Council s recommendation was for Centre LifeLink to raise outside funds and then approach the COG to fill any funding gap. Ms. Lawrence suggested that matching funds might be one possibility. Mr. Mascolo reported that Ferguson Township s recommendation was for the COG to fund 50% of all four devices. He stated Ferguson s share of $7,000 to $8,000 is considered a worthwhile investment and a good compromise. Mr. Boyer reported that the Patton Township Board had indicated support for the purchase of the LUCAS devices, but had not determined how much it would be willing to contribute. Considering the fact that Centre LifeLink does not receive municipal funding, Mr. Boyer inquired as to how the COG s contribution would be made and what the financial reporting responsibilities would be.

5 Page 5 of 6 In response, Mr. Knable stated that the COG s contribution would be considered a donation and not part of the operational budget. Mr. Bair added that the legal requirement for financial reporting only applies to those funds contributed by the municipalities. Mr. Knable told the Committee that Centre LifeLink plans to buy one LUCAS device in 2010, regardless of COG funding, and that the remaining three devices could be a multi-year acquisition if necessary. The first unit will be carried by the Alpha Fire Company so that it will be available at the scene, regardless of the ambulance responding to the call. Mr. Koll suggested establishing a fund, such as the Fire Capital fund, to which the municipalities could contribute on an annual basis, gradually building up the balance to fund future purchases. Mr. Bair suggested the COG contribute funds to purchase a second unit in 2010, in addition to the one purchased by Centre LifeLink. Mr. Steff stated that incremental purchases are consistent with the way the COG usually operates. Ms. Lawrence agreed that Borough Council would find a 50/50 split acceptable. Motion was made by Mr. Mascolo and seconded by Mr. Boyer to recommend that the General Forum authorize the COG to provide funding for one LUCAS CPR device during 2010, with municipal shares based on the modified COG formula for the five municipalities in the Centre LifeLink EMS service area. The vote in favor was unanimous. PUBLIC SAFETY UPDATES H1N1 Update Emergency Management Coordinator Shawn Kauffman reported that cases of H1N1 influenza are on the decline in the State College Area School District (SCASD), but that the virus is still active in the community, especially among the college-age population. There is a shortage of both H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccine. The Department of Community Health will be holding a vaccination clinic on November 20-22, contingent upon the availability of vaccine; SCASD is scheduled to receive its vaccine by the end of November; and Penn State University s student vaccine is trickling in. The concern is that the first wave of H1N1 will pass, but that seasonal influenza will move in, causing a more urgent health threat to the older population. Fire Apparatus Arrival Fire Director Steve Bair reported that both new Fire Police units are now in service and that the new aerial apparatus will be in service in about two weeks; the driver/ operators for the aerial have been trained, but some equipment still needs to be installed. The Sutphen aerial has been put up for auction. College Township Station Fire Director Bair reported that the substantial completion date for the College Township fire station has been pushed back to December 15. This will not affect fire operations. Messrs. Kauffman and Bair left the meeting at 11:08.

6 Page 6 of 6 Code Evaluation Study CRCA Director Walt Schneider reported that the proposal for the code evaluation study was referred back to the consultant for cost-saving modifications. Mr. Schneider anticipates receiving a revised proposal during the week of November 16. The Committee will be kept apprised via . Pennsylvania s Uniform Construction Code (UCC) CRCA Director Walt Schneider reported that the CRCA was represented at the National Code Conference in Baltimore. The vote on keeping the residential sprinkler requirement in the 2012 Code passed resoundingly in committee. There will be another national vote in Dallas, TX, next year. It would take a supermajority of the governmental members to overturn the sprinkler requirement at that time. Legislative challenges in Harrisburg have been tied up in committee. The expectation is that the UCC will go into effect unchanged, based on the national code, as of January 1, 2010, at which time the sprinkler requirement for new townhomes will go into effect. Legislative changes are expected in 2010 relating to the requirement for sprinkler systems in single family homes, which is scheduled to go into effect January 1, Code Administration Budget COG Executive Director Jim Steff reported that the Code Agency was revenue negative for September and October, and that November is expected to be negative as well. So far in 2009, new housing starts averaged 11 per month. Housing starts are expected to decline significantly until at least March As a result, two residential Building Inspectors will be laid off. In response to a question from Ms. Lawrence regarding how the layoffs would be handled and whether these individuals would be given priority in rehiring, Mr. Steff explained that there is a policy in place. Mr. Koll expressed concern that builders would have to wait more than 24 hours for inspections. Mr. Schneider acknowledged that it will be hard to maintain the current level of service and that it may take up to 72 hours to get an inspection. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting of the COG Public Safety Committee was adjourned at 11:18 A.M. Respectfully submitted, Lyssa N. Cromell Recording Secretary